The NAO strategy 2015-16 to 2017-18 sets out how our public audit perspective will help Parliament hold government to account and improve public services.
Jump to downloadsPublic sector funding
The public sector faces continuing financial constraints, putting pressure on its funding and services. The civil service must provide public services for less. These changes bring opportunities but also risks to value for money. Parliament needs a strong audit institution, to give strong accountability for public funds.
Our strategy
We help the government spend wisely. Our objectives are:
- to develop and apply our knowledge;
- increase our influence; and
- deliver high performance.
These objectives form the core of our strategy. The strategy sets out how, as the auditor of public bodies reporting to Parliament, we acquire insight in departments and across government about enablers and inhibitors of good performance. Combined with our expertise, we use this knowledge to support departments and the public sector to improve their performance. Parliamentary accountability is strengthened because our work is focused on issues that drive improvement in the use of taxpayers’ money.
Delivering the strategy
We will deliver our strategy through an integrated range of assurance products for Parliament, with a clear focus on what is delivered for the money spent. In so doing, we will add value by highlighting systemic scope for improvement. We work closely with Committee of Public Accounts, which takes evidence from our value-for-money studies and significant issues arising from our investigative and financial audit work.
Our resources and people
We continue to practise what we preach regarding our own cost-effectiveness and work to ensure that we are a high-performing organisation. We will maintain an appropriate balance between our business support costs and front‑line activity. We aim to do more with less. We will continue to improve the quality of our work and become more responsive to emerging issues.
The future
The next few years will be demanding. Those providing public services will be scrutinised in the run up to the next general election; this will include and affect our work. We will transform how we work, using our strengths and new capabilities, to help the government improve public services, and give Parliament assurance.
Professor Sir Andrew Likierman
Chairman
Amyas C E Morse
Comptroller and Auditor General
December 2014
Downloads
- NAO_Strategy_2015-16_to_2017-18.pdf (.pdf — 331 KB)
- NAO-Strategy-2015-16-2017-18-Infographic.pdf (.pdf — 3 MB)